1. Gia

Icould have gone anywhere in the world, but for whatever reason I chose to come back to the small seaside town of Ash Cove.

Not much has changed, it's still a cute, picturesque place that rivals any town set in a Hallmark movie.

Okay, it's quaint and adorable. It's like breathing in peace and contentment at the same time as the salty ocean air.

I need that right now.

I talk to my brother and sister on the phone regularly, we've taken vacations together but since that visit where I met Ryder, I haven't returned.

Maybe it's pride. Maybe it's a wounded ego. Maybe it's none of the above and I'm pathetic for still thinking about that man.

I let out a sigh.

I have yet to find another man who could fuck me or eat me the way he did.

I would give anything to find that again.

Much like the last time I was here, I'm locked into a run to burn the crazy off. I didn't expect being back here would cause me to think about Ryder so damn much.

But here we are. I can't get his smile out of my head after eight years.

Pathetic.

As the thought crosses my mind, I trip on a loose board and fly forward. A giant wall of a man grabs me just before I faceplant onto the ground.

"Steady there," the man drawls just as I look up into those soft gray eyes.

Ryder.

You've got to be kidding me. How is this even possible? What did I ever do to the Universe that it keeps playing with me like this?

"What in the Hell are you doing?" I shriek as I jump away from him.

"Sorry Ma'am, I saw you falling, and it was instinct."

Ma'am?

Does he not recognize me?

"It's fine. You startled me is all. I didn't…"

"Daddy! I found this white squirrel. I think his leg is broken."

A little girl with blonde hair filled with bouncy ringlets tugs on Ryder's shirt. She's holding a tiny, limp albino squirrel in her hand.

Daddy?

Is he married?

He has a daughter?

"I don't think you should be holding that," I say quickly.

"Can we take him to the vet?" she asks.

"Yes, we'll take him to see Dr. Sarah."

The little girl grins widely. Ryder glances back at me.

"Again, I'm sorry about that. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, just not great at walking today apparently."

He chuckles and looks me up and down.

"Have we met before? You seem familiar to me. Are you from around here?"

"Daddy, we need to go."

"It seems like you have someplace to be."

He sighs and nods before he turns to follow his little girl.

"You're really pretty," the girl smiles before she falls into stride with her father.

Do we know each other?

Seriously?

What a douche.

A man like him probably had one-night stands all the time.

I mean, I know I look way different than I did back then, but come on, how do you not remember someone who you had an incredible night with?

During my time in the military, my hair was blonde and I wore blue contacts and I was very muscular from so much working out. When I switched over to the CIA side from the Marine Corps, I went back to my natural hair color and regular contacts. I finally loved myself for who I was as a green eyed brunette, rather than trying to hide myself from the world. I hadn't tattoed my body at all until I got out of the Marine Corps and now, I have a full sleeve of various, colorful, and meaningful tattoos on my left arm.

Would it have hurt him to remember me and say that he's thought about me every day since though?

Shit. Stop with those ridiculous thoughts.

I watch as Ryder and his daughter get into a truck while I go back to my run. I can't check in to the place I'm renting temporarily for another few hours, so I continue my trek back to my brother's house.

I got here last night, but no one was home because Josh was finishing up a double at the hospital. He left the keys in the mailbox for me to get in.

How fitting that the person I run into is Ryder. The one man that I haven't been able to stop thinking about. It's like he appeared out of my dreams.

Stop it. That's nonsense and you know it.

You're not some giddy schoolgirl who believes in fate or soulmates. Get it out of your head.

Get him out of your head.

As I run up the driveway of Josh"s suburban home, it feels nice to be back. I'd gotten here earlier but my brother is finishing up a double at the hospital and left his keys behind for me to stay here last night.

There are two extra cars in the driveway now. I grin realizing my older brother is finally home. I'm excited to see him again.

Josh appears at the door, his smile wide and welcoming. His sandy blond hair ruffles in the gentle breeze, and his blue eyes sparkle with anticipation.

"Gia!" he exclaims, stepping forward to envelop me in a tight hug. "It"s so good to see you."

"Likewise," I reply, returning the hug with equal warmth. "Thanks for inviting me over."

Josh steps back, gesturing for me to come inside. As I enter, I catch a glimpse of a woman standing in the living room, her dark curls cascading down her shoulders. She turns towards us, her eyes lighting up with recognition.

"Gia, this is Rosa," Josh introduces us, his voice filled with pride. "My girlfriend."

Rosa steps forward, extending her hand with a bright smile. "Nice to meet you, Gia," she says warmly. "Josh has told me so much about you."

"Likewise," I reply, shaking her hand. "It"s great to finally meet you, Rosa."

"What brings you back to Ash Cove?" she asks.

"Just a little break from work. I needed a change of scenery. I can work from anywhere, so I thought being by a beach all day isn't that bad," I lie.

"It definitely has its perks. Josh says you're a buyer for Macy's. What's that like?"

"Stressful," I giggle. "It's nice though because I haven't bought my own clothes in years. I'm always getting freebies. I got lucky when the pandemic happened because they realized my job did not need to be one hundred percent in office, I've been mostly remote ever since. Most samples can be shipped, and I do a lot of Zoom calls. I only go into the office if it's unavoidable."

"You need to find that sort of job," Josh teases.

"I do love my clothes," Rosa shrugs with a laugh.

"Don't we all?"

As we settle into the cozy living room, Josh pours us each a glass of wine. I take a sip, letting the rich flavor wash over my senses as we start to catch up. We talk about work, about life, about everything, and nothing all at once.

I don't like lying to my family about my secret life, but I have no other choice.

They all know that I served in the Marine Corps for four years. After my enlistment was up, I was approached by the CIA to work as an undercover operative for them. They helped me develop a backstory so that no one would get suspicious.

I've been working with them ever since, traveling the world and capturing bad guys one day at a time.

It's an exciting life, but also lonely because no one truly knows who I am.

"Where are the kiddos?" I ask, referring to Josh's two children with his ex-first wife.

Landon is seven and Layla is four.

"Sarah got held up at the Clinic, that should be them pulling into the driveway."

"Are they with you for the weekend or just because I'm here?"

"It's my weekend," Josh laughs as he goes to the door and opens it.

"I'm sorry," Sarah says as she walks in with the kid's backpacks. "Your bestie is always the reason I am running late out of the clinic."

"He's the sole reason you're in business," Josh jokes.

"What did Chloe bring you today?" Rosa giggles as the kids run up and hug her.

"An albino squirrel of all things," Sarah laughs. "No one has been able to get close to that thing for five years to even get a good picture. Chloe walks in with it like it's her best friend."

"Wait a second," I interject. "I ran into them on the boardwalk."

I feel Josh's eyes narrow as they land on me.

What's that about?

"You ran into Ryder again on your trip back in town?" Sarah laughs. "It's got to be fate."

"That girl is something special," Josh chuckles. "Was it okay?"

"I set its leg that it broke falling out of a tree. I advised Ryder not to take it home and to allow me to find a wildlife rescue, but you know how he is."

"He will do whatever Chloe wants."

"It hasn't failed him yet," Josh laughs.

He turns to the kids and introduces them to me.

"Hi, Aunt Gia," Layla chirps, her voice filled with enthusiasm. "Did you bring us any presents?"

"I did. There's a bag right over there with gifts for the two of you."

"You didn't have to bring them presents," Josh interjects.

"They're more like experiences for the family," I shrug nonchalantly as the two kids grab packages out of the bag.

"What did you do?"

"You'll see."

Josh might have mentioned that Landon is a huge Harry Potter fan. Those books were my favorite growing up, they gave me hope that I could fly out of my crappy home life someday too. When I learned that Landon was obsessed, I wanted to do whatever I could to make it special for him. I also like to do things extravagantly sometimes. I love to read, it's what kept me grounded as a child when we traveled so much. If I can fan that love for my nephews and nieces, I will do it extravagantly.

"Dad!" Landon shrieks as he sees a Harry Potter robe and wand in the box.

He holds it all up and squeals in delight.

"There's something else," Rosa says as she hands him a card.

"You can open that."

Rosa laughs and does as he asks, revealing tickets and gift cards for Josh and his family to take the kids to Universal Studios.

Layla's gift is just as exciting as she's a Disney Princess lover. Her gift is all about Elsa, one of the princesses from the Disney movie Frozen and then getting to have breakfast with the princesses for their trip to Disney which is all covered by me.

"This is too much, Gia," Josh gushes. "I can't…"

"You can," I smile. "It makes me happy to see them so happy. Besides, I got a bonus recently and I can't justify spending it all on myself."

Layla and Landon are squealing as they jump up and down excitedly, showing off their gifts.

I grin widely taking in their excitement as they repeatedly come over and hug me.

I don't have kids of my own and probably never will because of my career, so I will spoil my nieces and nephews as much as possible.

We settle down for something to eat sometime later and I can't get Ryder out of my head.

Did he mention me?

"So that little girl, Chloe? That's Ryder's daughter?"

"Yes," Rosa giggles.

"Does she save animals all the time?"

"Yes, sometimes she just runs off at random even though Ryder watches her like a hawk. It's like a hurt animal throws up a bat signal that only she can see and she runs to save them without hesitation."

"That's so cute. And scary."

"Yeah, he's slowly getting gray hair from it," Rosa adds.

"Where's her mom?"

"She died in the hospital not long after giving birth to Chloe. They had taken Chloe to the nursery for some tests and Giselle asked Ryder to get him something to eat. When he came back, she was dead. The machines had just started beeping. She was one of my best friends, that's how Josh and I met." Rosa explains.

"What happened?"

"They said that her heart just stopped working. That it was some freak accident."

Weird.

"That's so sad."

"Ryder has done an amazing job with her. Layla and Chloe are practically inseparable," she confides, a playful twinkle in her eye. "She"s a free spirit, that one. Always full of energy and with a giant heart."

"He practically has a zoo at his house. He can"t say no to Chloe"s requests, so they end up with all sorts of animals running around," Josh adds.

"I can't picture that."

"You don't want to," Josh replies. "It's wild."

Maybe I do, just a little.

I would give anything to have one more night with that gorgeous man.